7 nabbed, arms seized north of Baaquba

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: Seven persons were arrested and a cache of arms and ammunition was found north of Baaquba city, a local police chief said on Sunday. “Today, police forces conducted a security operation targeting al-Qaeda operatives in different parts of Habhab district (15 km north of Baaquba), during which seven individuals, including three wanted men, were captured,” Staff Brig. Abdelhussein al-Shamri told IraqiNews.com. “Twenty two mortar shells, a number of locally-made improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and Katyusha rockets were seized during the operation,” Shamri added, providing no further details. Diala province, a mix of Sunnis and Shiites, extends to the northeast of Baghdad as far as the Iranian border. Its capital is Baaquba, 57 km northeast of Baghdad. It covers an area of 17,685 square kilometers (6,828 sq mi). A large portion of the province is drained by the Diala River, a major tributary of the Tigris. Because of its proximity to two major sources of water, Diala’s main industry is agriculture, primarily dates grown in large Date Palm groves. It is also recognized as the orange capital of the Middle East. In January 2008 Operation Phantom Phoenix was launched in an attempt to eradicate the remnants of al-Qaeda network following the Diala province campaign between 2006 and 2007. SS (S) 1